Respiration and heart rate are two of several core functions critical to continued biological activity. They are, therefore, monitored, along with blood pressure, as key indicators of patient vitality. For example, most emergency rooms and intensive care wards are elaborately equipped with sophisticated equipment for monitoring heart and lung function. Such monitoring is considered essential for the short and long term care of the patient.
Additionally, a patient's position on a bed also requires monitoring, especially during sleep. Monitoring is required to ensure avoidance of injury and liability that can result from a fall off the bed. This is especially true in cases where it is not essential that the patient be tied down with protective restraints or have side guards raised, both of these commonly used methods being restrictive and inconvenient. The current method is for hospital staff to make several, labor-intensive rounds per shift, checking on bed position.
The importance of heart and respiratory rate, and bed position in health care has made it desirable to monitor such functions outside the confines of the hospital and absent expensive hardware or professional help. In this regard, significant developments in sensor technology have led to inexpensive and portable heart monitors, often the size of a wristwatch. Blood pressure monitors have likewise enjoyed popularity due to simplified "home use" designs which have now become quite inexpensive. Such broadened application of these health sensors increases patient understanding of health problems and provides an early warning to potentially catastrophic events.
A demand exists for a simplified, inexpensive, but accurate device which can monitor heart rate, respiratory activity and bed-position. This is especially relevant for outpatients recently discharged from hospitals or patients requiring long term maintenance outside expensive medical facilities. Such patients require a simple, uncomplicated monitor, which monitor requires minimum attendance by a caretaker. Such monitors would be used to track basal heart and respiratory rate and give a warning indication if abnormal heart rate or breathing difficulties are noted on a continuous basis. Prompt detection of respiratory or cardiac anomaly would allow time for correction or early resuscitation. Similarly, a caretaker can prevent unwanted falls from a bed if given proper early warning detected from monitoring a patient's position on the bed.